Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 1. Insomnia 2. Sleepstarved 3. Blame the Victim 4. Sleepless in Seattle: The Conferences 5. The Brain of an Insomniac 6. Sleep, Stress, and Stages of Life 7. Rock, Hard Place: The Drugs 8. Change Your Attitude, Change Your Ways: Behavioral Modification 9. Asleep at the Switch: The Clinics 10. Alternatives 11. Bedding Down with the Beast 12. Making Change Notes Glossary Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author

Gayle Greene is Professor of Literature and Women's Studies at Scripps College, Claremont California. She has published books on Shakespeare, women writers, and scientific issues. Her most recent books are Doris Lessing: The Poetics of Change and The Woman Who Knew Too Much: Alice Stewart and the Secrets of Radiation. She is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), a professional medical society for researchers and clinicians, and is the patient representative on the board of the American Insomnia Association, an organization within AASM.

Reviews

"Greene's book is the best available on the subject."--New England Journal of Medicine "Insomniac is far too interesting to lull you into dreamland."--O: the Oprah Magazine "A harrowing memoir."--Wall Street Journal "Provides ... insights that many sleep researchers and doctors have lost track of... Among the best books of its kind."--Nature "Greene imparts a feeling of solidarity to fellow sufferers."--Library Journal "A harrowing memoir."--Wall Street Journal "Provides ... insights that many sleep researchers and doctors have lost track of... Among the best books of its kind."--Nature "Provides ... insights that many sleep researchers and doctors have lost track of... Among the best books of its kind."--Nature "Greene imparts a feeling of solidarity to fellow sufferers."--Library Journal "Greene imparts a feeling of solidarity to fellow sufferers."--Library Journal

"Greene's book is the best available on the subject."--New England Journal of Medicine "Insomniac is far too interesting to lull you into dreamland."--O: the Oprah Magazine "A harrowing memoir."--Wall Street Journal "Provides ... insights that many sleep researchers and doctors have lost track of... Among the best books of its kind."--Nature "Greene imparts a feeling of solidarity to fellow sufferers."--Library Journal "A harrowing memoir."--Wall Street Journal "Provides ... insights that many sleep researchers and doctors have lost track of... Among the best books of its kind."--Nature "Provides ... insights that many sleep researchers and doctors have lost track of... Among the best books of its kind."--Nature "Greene imparts a feeling of solidarity to fellow sufferers."--Library Journal "Greene imparts a feeling of solidarity to fellow sufferers."--Library Journal

No one can describe a journey better than someone who's made the trip, and insomniac Greene's exploration of the disorder is both fascinating and disturbing. Many people, including doctors and insomniacs themselves, believe that sleeplessness is the patient's fault: too much caffeine and stress, irregular bedtimes, lack of exercise. In fact, no one knows what causes it, but the effects of insomnia are clear: as Greene, a professor of literature and women's studies at Scripps College, shows, sleep deprivation kills creativity, reduces levels of the hormones needed to repair cells and is directly linked to weight gain and memory loss, high blood pressure and diabetes. Insomniacs are usually referred to mental health practitioners or the growing number of sleep labs offering behavior modification or drugs (which, for Greene, have always "buil[t] tolerance, and rapidly," necessitating ever-larger doses). "This is a somewhat cranky book," Greene admits, and rightly so. "You can't live with this problem as long as I have, you can't be blown off and written off as many times as I have, and not get cross." Supplementing her own experience with that of other chronic insomniacs and a look at the science of sleep, Greene offers an enjoyable and informative account that will provoke even readers who get their full eight hours a night. (Mar.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.